Yamal opens World Cup account as Spain demolish Saudi Arabia 4-0 to revive Group H campaign

Spain emphatically ended their World Cup stuttering start by dismantling Saudi Arabia 4-0 on Thursday, with Lamine Yamal scoring his first goal at the tournament and Mikel Oyarzabal adding a brace to give Luis de la Fuente’s side their first points in Group H.

After Monday’s frustrating 0-0 draw with Cape Verde raised early questions about the European champions’ form, De la Fuente — celebrating his 65th birthday — made four changes to his starting XI. Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and Yamal all came in, and the reshuffled side looked sharper from the outset.

Yamal broke the deadlock with just 10 minutes on the clock, timing a smart run to tap in at the back post. Oyarzabal then took over, ghosting behind the Saudi defence twice in the space of three minutes to put the game beyond doubt before the half-hour mark. The Real Sociedad forward, whose winning goal against England in the Euro 2024 final will be fresh in British memories, also contributed an assist in a dominant first-half display.

Both Yamal and Oyarzabal were withdrawn at half-time, with De la Fuente clearly managing their fitness ahead of Saturday’s Group H closer against Uruguay. Yamal’s availability remains a concern after he missed the end of Barcelona’s season with a hamstring injury, though his impact here underlined why Spain are so reluctant to leave him out.

The fourth goal arrived within four minutes of the restart through an unfortunate own goal. Marc Cucurella’s shot was saved by Mohammed Al-Owais, but the ball rebounded off Hassan Al-Tambakti and into the net.

Spain’s substitutes had chances to add gloss in the final half-hour. Mikel Merino threaded a fine ball through for Ferran Torres, who prodded wide, and Torres believed he had scored in stoppage time only for VAR to rule the effort out for offside after a lengthy review.

The result restores order in Group H and sends a clear message to the rest of the tournament field: the European champions, despite their slow start, retain the firepower to punish any side on their day.